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DCanter Uncorks Concierge Service

DCanter wine shop wants to make enjoying a relaxing bottle (or 12) so easy, staff will do everything — short of strolling into your kitchen and topping off a balloon goblet — to speed the process along via a new custom-ordering program.

The neighborhood retailer, which took up residence along Barracks Row (545 Eighth St. SE) last summer, has developed “Concierge by DCanter” to pair choice beverages with discerning palates across the District.


Co-owner Michelle Lim Warner said the plan is to provide every degree of wine drinker, from neophytes to seasoned collectors, with additional opportunities to broaden their respective horizons.

“They don’t really need to know a lot about wine,” she said. “[And] it’s not imposing our tastes on onto theirs.”

Those who choose to participate in the fee-free service can opt to receive either six or 12 wines each month. Once a customer enrolls, Warner said a concierge will get to work on divining each client’s personal preferences. If game, expect to be quizzed about flavor profiles, anticipated usage (casual sipping, formal entertaining, special occasion) and your general sense of adventure before piecing together each bundle.

“You’re gonna talk to somebody. And we’ll be following up,” she stressed.

Given that the shop tends to traffic in lesser known but distinctive pours, Warner is confident staff will able to pique anyone’s interest.

“We can help people discover certain wine styles,” she said.

Which is not to say they’ll drop totally random overstock in the mail just for shock value.

“The mystery only comes if you are not familiar with some of the smaller producers,” she said of the bedrock principle of tailoring each batch to the customers’ evolving wants and needs.

According to Warner, delivery is free anywhere in D.C. And there is no membership fee.

To wit, Warner said anyone who develops a taste for the service is welcome to up the number of orders at will. “You can request additional deliveries,” she said, leaving the door open to bi-weekly, weekly or, hell, daily deliveries for those most in need of a little pick-me-up.

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